Eyes
by Rivendell101
Summary: "I've noticed that Dad doesn't look at Aunt Ino the same way he looks at Mom." Choji's hands clench into fists at his sides, but he still doesn't say anything. "And that would be okay, except the way Dad looks at Aunt Ino is the way he should be looking at Mom." Choji knew this would happen eventually, he just wished it wouldn't be this soon.
1. Part One:Knowing How It Ends

**AN: I have no idea where this came from. I should be working on my other fics, but no. This thing had to be written! After rereading the ending (which I'm still bitter about, you have no idea) this came to me while I was showering. Why do my best ideas come to me when I'm bathing? Anyway! On with the thing!**

**Eyes**

**(There is simply nothing worse, than knowing how it ends.)**

"Can I ask you a question?" Choji freezes, eyes locking with the young boy's. The look in his green eyes it telling Choji everything he needs to know. He has always known that this question would come up eventually, he just didn't think it would be this soon. He didn't want it to come up _ever_, but Shikadai is a genius and Shikamaru isn't exactly subtle. Actually, now that he thinks about it more, he's surprised it took this kid twelve years to realize that something wasn't quite right.

Or maybe it just took him a few years to finally say something about it.

Steeling himself for the bombshell the twelve-year old is about to drop, Choji bites his cheek harshly, needing something to distract himself with. He's momentarily confused when nothing happens. He glances down at the boy, who currently has this look on his face similar to Shikamaru's, eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a tight line.

Choji almost smiles at the similarities between the two, but the grin is wiped away by the prospect of the grim question looming ahead. "Hey," he says, crouching in front of the boy. "You can ask me anything, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," Shikadai says. "It's just—" he stops suddenly, frown deepening. "It's not so much a question as it is realization." Choji doesn't say anything, but Shikadai either doesn't notice, or he doesn't care. "I've noticed that Dad doesn't look at Aunt Ino the same way he looks at Mom." Choji's hands clench into fists at his sides, but he still doesn't say anything. "And that would be okay, except the way Dad looks at _Aunt Ino_ is the way he should be looking at _Mom_." Green eyes blink up at him slowly. _Temari's_ green eyes. A sharp, bitter reminder that this is his best friend's son with a woman he never wanted to be with.

Choji can't imagine how much that must hurt. For both of them. He just can't believe how cruel life is to them. First Asuma for all three of them, then their fathers, and finally each other. He only wishes that he had fought harder for them, but it's too late now. Wishing won't change the past. Wishing won't _fix_ this.

Sighing, Choji pats Shikadai's shoulder, squeezing the small limb gently, affectionately. He sighs again. "Do want the truth?" he asks. "Or do you want a lie?" This kid is going to see right through any trickery he tries to use, but he figures that it won't hurt to ask. Sometimes people aren't ready to hear the truth. He knows this from experience.

"The truth, please." Those green eyes bore into his again, and he almost tears his gaze away. Almost. It isn't Shikadai's fault that things happened the way they did. He loves this kid just as much as he loves his own daughter, just like he loves Inojin. It's just hard to think about the way things could have been, even if it has been twelve years. He should be used to it by now, but he's not.

He nods then, slowly sitting on the ground. Shikadai doesn't move, only looks at him grimly. "First, I want to ask you a question." Shikadai raises a brow at that, but remains silent, waiting. "Who's more like your Grandma Yoshino. Aunt Ino or your mom?" Choji figures that he already knows the answer, but he had t ask anyway. It's important that he gets an answer.

Shikadai scoffs, arms crossing over his chest. "Aunt Ino, obviously." He rolls his eyes in a way that looks too similar to what Ino does, and Choji's heart squeezes painfully for his friends. "Mom is too coolheaded, she isn't as…" he trails off, searching for the proper word to use, wincing slightly when he finds one, "overbearing as Grandma." He looks up at Choji almost fearfully. "But don't tell her I said that."

Choji smiles sadly. "I won't."

Shikadai frowns. "What does that have to do with the way Dad looks at Aunt Ino though?" Choji rolls his eyes, shoving the impatient boy slightly, nearly knocking him off balance.

"I'm getting to that," he chides. "Give me a second." Shikadai's frown deepens, and in the next second he's sitting on the ground in front of Choji, staring at him with an almost exasperated look on his face. Choji rolls his eyes at the boy's impatience, but decides to humor him. "You see, Nara men are weird. They end up falling for the women they swear they never want to be with. Everything they don't want in a woman is exactly what they end up attracted to." Shikadai gives him a weird look, but Choji waves it off. "It happen with your Grandfather, Shikaku—he and your Grandma were a real match made in Hell, but they made it work. Your Dad swore he wouldn't end up like that. He just wanted an average life, but I think, after a while that stopped being what he wanted." Choji smiles bitterly, forgetting who he's talking to for a split second. "Ironic, isn't it? As soon as he stops wanting a simple life, what he really wants is ripped away from him." The only time he's ever been angrier than he is now, is the day that damn rule was solidified.

Shikadai is silent for a long time, and Choji can only assume he's thinking about what he's just been told. A small hand is placed on his arm after several long seconds. "What happened?" the boy asks, voice quiet.

Choji exhales heavily, a hand running across his face tiredly. "There were… rules put in place. The clan elders didn't want our bloodlines—the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi bloodlines to mix." He pats Shikadai on the head gently. "They didn't want anyone to inherit more than one of the jutsus, they thought it would throw off the clan alliance." He swallows thickly, releasing a shaky breath. "They didn't care though, they were happy—Kami, they were so happy," he says, voice shaking terribly. "But then the Hokage stepped in. She didn't necessarily agree with the elders, but she figured it was the only way to…" Choji trails off with no intention of continuing.

"He doesn't love Mom, does he." Shikadai phrases it as a statement, rather than a question, but Choji responds anyway.

"Your father cares about your mother very much. He loves her, in a way."

"But he isn't in love with her."

Choji stands slowly, not looking at Shikadai. He can't bear to look that boy in the eyes. He looks so much like Shikamaru, but his eyes—they're _Temari's_ eyes. And he _likes_ Temari, she's a nice enough person. It's just that those eyes remind him of what should never have happened in the first place.

"I don't know."

He walks away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't know what I just wrote! I do not know what I just wrote! Please forgive me for this shitty thing that came out of nowhere!<strong>

**Part 2? Maybe? Tell me what you think! I need to know!**


	2. Part Two: I Never Was Yours

**AN: Part Two! As promised! There will definitely be a part three coming, and maybe even a part four! So stay tuned for that!**

**If you like this, please check out my other Naruto fic **_**Shenanigans**_**! It's a College AU that centers around Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji being dorks!**

**Eyes: Part Two**

**(And truth be told, I never was yours.)**

"Can you tell us a story?"

Ino almost drops the pile of scrolls in her arms, a few spilling out onto the floor and tangling together. Ino glares at them. Damn Ibiki and his ability to cause her trouble even after his retirement from the T&I division. He should still be able to read scrolls and write up reports, he doesn't need all of his limbs for that, _but no_, he just gives them to her instead.

She sneers. He probably sits at home and laughs about it. Damn old man.

Shifting the scrolls into one arm, Ino is about to grab the fallen ones when someone else scoops them up for her.

Inojin grins at her, blue eyes perfectly mirroring hers. Ino is more than a little bit thankful that her son barely resembles her husband. Especially his personality. She wouldn't have been able to stand living with two men with the emotional range of a rock. The only people Sai can properly share his emotions with are Naruto and Sakura, and Ino can always see past his fake smiles. It makes her sick, but at least her son isn't like that.

She smiles down at Inojin, who nods at her, then spins on his heel to dump the scrolls on the table next to Chocho, who turns scarlet in embarrassment, having been the reason Ino nearly dropped everything.

"Sorry, Aunt Ino," she apologizes, still flushed.

Ino waves her off quickly, adding the rest of the scrolls to the growing pile on the table. "It's no big deal, Dear," she says, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I was bound to drop them at some point, you just sped up the process." She grins, reaching out to ruffle Inojin's hair. "And you even got this brat to help me out." Chocho snickers.

"Mom," Inojin hisses, swatting at her hand. "Stop that."

She complies, sitting in the empty chair between the kids. She absolutely loves teasing her son, but if he wants her to stop, then fine, she will. For now. She'll wait until later. "Alright, alright. Calm down." Inojin smooths out his hair, sending her a pointed look, to which Ino just rolls her eyes. She's gotten that same look from Shikamaru for as long as she can remember. It just doesn't have the same effect coming from a twelve-year old with baby-blue eyes. Not that it ever had any effect to begin with; Shikamaru isn't exactly the most intimidating person. Well, there were some days when he seemed to be the strongest person she had ever seen, but that was years ago. "Anyway, Chocho, what kind of story would you like me to tell?"

The younger girl's eyes light up. "A romance!" Ino almost wilts. She hasn't been good with romance since…

"Eww, no!" Inojin hisses, cringing in his seat. "Romance is gross."

Ino looks at him in disbelief. "How would you know, you're twelve."

Inojin glares. "Girls are gross."

Chocho looks mildly offended, so Ino steps in again before the other girl can say anything. She knows from experience what an offended Akimichi can do. "We're both girls." Honestly, men think they're all that. Girls are the gross ones? Kiba smells like a wet dog, Naruto has absolutely no taste in clothing, Shino lets bugs live _inside_ him, and Choji and Shikamaru are… Choji and Shikamaru. Ino smiles sadly at the thought. She wouldn't have them any other way.

Well, one of them she would, but she tries not to think about that, because it makes her heart ache and her head hurt, and sometimes she wonders if he still feels like that too, but she doesn't want to think about that either, because that just makes it harder. She just hopes he isn't hurting as much as she is.

"Yeah, and you're gross." Alright, that was uncalled for.

Ino glares at her son, half way to reaching over and knocking him over the head a few times. Inojin's eyes widen in terror, and he tries to scoot his chair away from the two angry females.

Chocho scoffs. "Boys."

Ino huffs in agreement. "Sweetheart, you don't know the half of it. At least the ones on your team are semi-well-mannered" Inojin opens his mouth to complain, but stops when Ino shoots him a look full of poison. "Anyway, a romantic story. I can do that." She can do this. Maybe. She leans back, scooping up a scroll and looking at it halfheartedly. There's only one story coming to mind, and she isn't sure she wants to tell that one. "There's this one story I know," Ino confesses, "but I don't know if you guys will like it." She glances up to see two excited faces smiling at her, and suddenly she doesn't have the heart not to tell it.

"Alright, fine." Blowing more hair out of her face, Ino thinks of a place to begin. "Well, there were two teammates," she says awkwardly. "They grew up together, fought in a war together, lost people together, and they stupidly fell in live with each other."

"This doesn't sound very romantic."

"Shut up!"

"Oww!"

Ino ignores the two kids. "They spent practically every day together. Smiling and laughing and fighting and insulting each other, and even when times were hard and it seemed like there was no good left in this god forsaken world, well, at least they had each other. That's what mattered." Ino frowns, hand shaking slightly. "They would always have each other." She curses the appendage, clenching it into a fist and praying that her heart doesn't do something stupid like hurting. "They always took care of each other, sometimes more than they should've." She sighs, heart seizing painfully in her chest. After all these years it still hurts to think about. "They fell in love, and it was stupid, because she was the exact opposite of what he wanted, he knew it, and she knew it, so she spent years pretending she didn't care about him, because she thought he never cared either." She smiles. "And one day they were arguing and somehow everything just sort of happened. Everything fell into place. Maybe everything wasn't going to be perfect, they were Shinobi after all, but they didn't want perfect, just each other." Her smile turns into a sad little thing. "They lit up with each other, they made each other so… happy—so happy."

She feels like crying. They were so happy together. Happier than ever. Why couldn't they just accept that? Why couldn't they just let them be? Why was it so _wrong_ for them to be together? Because of the formation? Because Choji would have no part in it? Choji never cared. Choji was happy or them too. Almost as happy as they were. But then—

"So then what?" Chocho asks, leaning forward in her seat. Even Inojin looks curious now.

Her smile disappears completely. "They married other people."

Chocho nearly falls out of her chair, Inojin looks horrified, and Ino… Ino just wants to disappear. "Why?" Inojin whispers. "How could that happen?"

Ino coughs, trying to cover up the sudden tightness in her throat. "The elders of their clans wanted to keep them apart. They didn't want them to be together, even if it's what made them happiest," she whispers. "And they succeeded."

"Who succeeded?" Three heads snap to the door. Sai is standing there, a small frown on his face, but no emotion in his eyes. Ino briefly thinks that she hates him, but she knows that isn't true. The only thing she has ever hated was the damn rule made by the clan elders.

"No one," Ino says quickly, standing. "Chocho, I think it's about time you went home, it's getting late and we don't want your dad to worry." She ignores the protests. "Inojin, why don't you walk her out." He frowns, but does so.

Ino turns her back on Sai, not wanting to see him right now, not after everything.

"Ino," Sai says, sliding up behind her like some sort of disgusting snake.

Cold fingers wrap around her bare shoulder and she whirls around, back slamming into the table. She just wants him to stop touching her. "Don't touch me," she snaps. Cold fingers and pale skin are so different from warm, calloused palms and scars that stretch over sun-worn skin. Sai is nothing she wanted and everything she was stuck with, and maybe she should be happy that she has someone, but she isn't happy. She would rather be alone. She doesn't feel anything for the man standing in front of her. She never has.

Sai steps back, confused, and Ino wishes she could make the space wider, but she's still backed up against the table. "What were you telling them?" he asks softly, hands held up in a placating gesture. "They seemed sort of sad about it." He gives her one of the god awful fake smiles and she just wants to rip it off his face. She hates this so much.

"I was telling them a story about the love of my life," she tells him honestly, tired of lying to herself and to him. It's not fair that she's stuck with him, but it's not fair that he's stuck with her either. He could be having a good life, but instead he's stuck with a wife who practically hates him. It can't be fun for him.

Sai frowns. "You were telling them about us?" he asks.

Ino shakes her head wildly, choking on a sob. It's just too much right now. Having to talk about her and—and him, and now Sai, and she never wanted this! She never wanted any of this. Dear god, she loves Inojin with all her heart, but he's the only good thing to come out of this cursed marriage.

"No, Sai, I wasn't," she blurts, unable to stop herself. "I never loved you. It was always him." For a second he looks confused, but then he just gives her that plastic smile again.

"That's funny, Ino. Of course you love me. You married me." She wants to rip that look off his face. She wants him to step closer so she can do it. She's sick of that fake look and this fake love, she'd rather be alone than this. She just wants this to be over.

"I settled for you," she spits, hyperventilating. "That's all that it ever was," she says bitterly, hands clenching into fists. "I don't love you," Ino snarls, eyes burning into his, tears streaming down her face. "And I don't think you know what it means to love me."

For a split second she thinks that maybe she's cracked the shell around him. Maybe he'll finally show _something_. Then, he just smiles again and another cry rips out of her throat, this time angry.

"I'm going to go talk to Naruto. I'll come back once you've calmed down." His smile widens, and his head tilts to the right cutely, and he turns on his heels, striding to the door.

"Don't bother," she hisses. "I won't be here when you come back."

The door shuts quietly and she cries harder, partly happy. It's over. She's said everything she needed to say. She's done. Maybe she can ask Sakura to let her stay over for a few days, it's not like she couldn't use the company.

Ino doesn't hear the door open again, or the sound of feet crossing the room, but she does feel skinny arms wrap around her and a smaller body press against hers, hands rubbing her back soothingly. "Don't cry, Mom, it's oaky, it's all going to be okay."

She doesn't know how much he heard, but he can probably figure it out anyway.

She coughs out a laugh. "I should be telling you that," she whispers, arms wrapping around him in return. "What do you think about staying with Sakura for a few days? You don't have to if you don't want to." She wants him to be able to choose, since she was never able to.

He only clings tighter. "I'll go wherever you go," he says quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Originally this chapter was going to be a discussion between Temari and Shikamaru, but that's coming next! Hope you guys liked it! It felt sloppy to me, but I just needed to get this out. So, sorry if it's bad! Next chapter will be better, so stay tuned for that, and thanks for all your lovely reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them :D<strong>

**If you have any questions or concerns don't be afraid to ask, I usually get back to people the day of, unless I'm super busy. Part Three should be up by Friday since I only have school Monday and Tuesday.**


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